The present invention generally relates to devices and methods for placing products which are infed at random spacing into consistent spacing and particularly for placing randomly spaced products into evenly spaced flights.
Many products are produced in a random fashion in that the spacing between the products on an output conveyor can vary from zero to a maximum. However, many production machines such as cartoning machines require the products to be positioned at consistent intervals. With many products such as rigid containers, bottles and cans, the products which are randomly fed are allowed to bump into each other, are bunched together and then mechanically separated to the desired consistent intervals. However, other products which are randomly fed can not be allowed to bump together for various reasons. For example, large flat products such as pizzas will have a tendency to ride up on one another such that damage may occur and/or mechanical separation is not possible. Other products having similar problems would be deformable products such as loose products contained in plastic bags and the like.
Thus, a need exists for devices for placing products which are infed in a random fashion into consistent intervals. It is an aim of the present invention to provide a random infeed timing device which does not bump or bunch the products together while placing the products at consistent intervals.